Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | Winger | #78

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Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

Bellemare was previously a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. He had four goals and eight points in 82 contests in 2016-17. He'll be starting a two-year, $2.9 million contract in 2017-18. Jun 21 - 9:09 PM

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare appears to be the player Vegas selected from Philadelphia in the expansion draft.

Plenty of names have started to leak from the expansion draft and Craig Custance is hearing that Bellemare will be heading to Vegas. He accounted for eight points in 82 games with the Flyers last season. Jun 21 - 4:26 PM

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored once and assisted on another to lead France to a 5-1 upset win over Finland at the World Championships.

You probably got great odds if you bet on the French as Finland were prohibitive favorites to win. The real star of the game was France’s netminder Florian Hardy who stopped 42 of 43 Finnish shots. The 32-year-old has played the last two seasons in Austria and has never been a factor at the world level until this week. Bellemare had four goals and eight points in a full NHL season so he has no fantasy value next year in pools. May 8 - 9:56 AM

Okay, it's not the NHL's Hart Trophy which goes to the most valuable player in the league, but rather the Gene Hart Memorial Trophy which is given to the Flyers player who shows the most "heart," as voted upon by the fan club's board of directors. Congratulations to Bellemare on the honor. Apr 9 - 9:39 AM

Depth Charts

Vadim Shipachyov accounted for 13 points in 10 games for Russia at the 2017 World Hockey Championship.

He produced two goals and 11 assists to help Russia earn the bronze medal. Shipachyov had 26 goals and 76 points in 50 KHL games during the 2016-17 season. He inked a two-year, $9 million contract with the Golden Knights earlier this month and should be a key member of the team's offense in 2017-18.

Cody Eakin has been snagged by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

Eakin spent the last five seasons with the Dallas Stars. In 60 games with the Stars last year, he posted just 12 points, but he is capable of generating 35-40 points like he did in each of his previous three seasons. Eakin plays a solid two-way game and Vegas GM George McPhee was in charge in Washington when the team drafted him.

Haula was selected in the expansion draft from Minnesota and he agreed to a three-year contract with the team. "You're starting to build your own legacy. Nothing has happened [in Vegas] before. Everything is new," said Haula. "It's a great opportunity for everybody, so you just start building from there. Everyone is new, so we've just got to kick it into gear as fast as possible and spend a lot of time with the guys on the team and get to know each other. I'm really excited for this opportunity in my career." He is expected to kill penalties and has proven over the last two years that he is capable of contributing offensively.

The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired William Karlsson, David Clarkson, a 2017 first-round pick, and a 2019 second-round selection from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Karlsson was the actual expansion draft pick and Clarkson was included so that the Blue Jackets could shed an expensive contract. For Vegas the main allure here is the picks, but Karlsson can contribute. He had six goals and 25 points in 81 games last season and he at the age of 24 he still has some room to grow.

The Vegas Golden Knights have chosen Tomas Nosek in the expansion draft from Detroit.

Detroit exposed a few regulars on the roster, but Vegas went with Nosek, who starred for Grand Rapids during the AHL playoffs en route to a Calder Cup championship. Nosek also had one goal in 11 appearances with the Red Wings in 2016-17 and he was slated to make a full-time jump to the NHL next season.

Reid Duke is finally getting the chance to skate with some other Vegas hopefuls at the team's first development camp.

Duke was the first player signed by the Golden Knights. "I've been waiting for this for three or four months now," he said. "It's exciting to get out, see the guys, even the fans. To see that many people here means a lot to us, and I'm just really happy to get things going." Duke wants to impress the team's brass and make the jump to the NHL in 2017-18.

The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to take Mikhail Grabovski from the Islanders as part of a larger trade.

That will save the Islanders $5 million in cap space. Grabovski unfortunately didn't play at all in 2016-17 due to concussion issues. Prior to that he had been disappointing with the Islanders as he had just 44 points in 109 contests over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns.

David Perron can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2017-18 campaign and it's believed that Vegas will attempt to deal him at the trade deadline.

Perron was chosen from the Blues at the expansion draft and has a $3.75 million cap hit. He also has a modified no-trade clause, which stipulates three teams that he can't be traded to. Perron will likely be a top-six forward with the Golden Knights at the start of the season, though.

Oscar Lindberg has signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract with Vegas.

The Golden Knights acquired Lindberg from the Rangers via the expansion draft. He had eight goals and 20 points in 65 contests last season. Lindberg was a restricted free agent after completing a two-year, $1.3 million deal.

Jonathan Marchessault can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Marchessault was selected in the expansion draft from Florida. He netted 30 goals and registered 51 points in 75 games last season. If Marchessault takes advantage of his increased role with the Golden Knights then he could earn an extension. He will also be reunited with former Panthers coach Gerard Gallant in Vegas, which could help his chances.

"It’ll be a big opportunity to make a statement in camp," Carrier said. "I’ve been used to trying to earn a spot, but everything is going to be new. New city, new rink and all the fans are going to be excited. It should be good." Carrier got his first taste of the NHL in 2016-17 with the Buffalo Sabres as he recorded five goals and eight points in 41 contests. He'll be someone to watch during the Golden Knights' training camp.

It's worth $710,000 at the NHL level. Hyka was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, but the two sides never came to terms on a contract. Hyka now becomes the third player under contract to the Golden Knights after Reid Duke and Vadim Shipachyov. Hyka, 24, had 17 goals and 21 assists in 48 games with the Czech League's Mlada Boleslav BK in 2016-17.

James Neal is a candidate to be the first captain of the Golden Knights and he could also be sent away at the trade deadline if the right deal comes along.

That would be an interesting scenario if Vegas beat writer Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is on the money. It's also possible that Vegas may not have a captain for their first season. Neal is expected to log top-line minutes for the Golden Knights in 2017-18. He has a $5 million cap hit and an eight-team modified no-trade clause. Neal is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Reilly Smith feels fortunate to have some familiar faces with him on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Former Florida head coach Gerard Gallant and assistant Mike Kelly will be behind the bench for the Golden Knights. Jonathan Marchessault was also with Smith on the Panthers. Additionally, Smith knows Cody Eakin from their time together in Dallas. "It's a very exciting experience at the same time, because you're going to be the first person to do something new for a great franchise, so I think everyone is looking at it in that type of excitement," said Smith. "It's going to be fun when we get everything started." He notched 25 goals and 50 points in 82 games with Florida when Gallant was in charge during the 2015-16 campaign.

The Golden Knights will send a third rounder to Minnesota in 2017 or 2018 in exchange. Tuch made six appearances with the big club in 2016-17, but he didn't record a point. In 57 minor-league matches with Iowa, he generated 18 goals and 37 points in his first season as a pro. Vegas took Erik Haula in the expansion draft and got Tuch for staying away from Matt Dumba, Eric Staal and Marco Scandella.

The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to take on David Clarkson's contract as part of a larger trade.

Clarkson still has three seasons left on his seven-year, $36.75 million contract. Clarkson unfortunately will probably never play again, so Vegas will presumably move him to the long-term injured reserve list.

Of all the players that filed for arbitration, Schmidt was the only one who actually went through the process. He ended up landing a two-year deal, $2.225 million per season, so it's easy to see why he was pleased with how things worked out. "I tried to have a good attitude about it, it’s something they had never been through before some people maybe wanted to have some experience as well," said Schmidt. "I think it’s a great process because it brings the sides together because no one really wants to do it, but you know what I think it was good the way everything played out."

Jason Garrison has been taken by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

The Lightning sent the rights to prospect Nikita Gusev, a second rounder in 2017 and a fourth-round pick in 2018 so that Vegas would take Garrison. Tampa Bay wanted to prevent the Golden Knights from taking young defenders Jake Dotchin and Slater Koekkoek.

Shea Theodore believes he is ready to be a full-time NHLer with the Golden Knights.

"It's definitely a lot about confidence. I know I saw that last year when I was playing consistently with Anaheim, I felt like that's when I was playing my best, I was playing well and playing a lot of minutes," Theodore said. "I'm going to be coming into camp in the best shape I can and try to secure a spot with Vegas." With the Ducks, he spent the last few seasons moving between the AHL and the NHL. He has five goals and 17 points in 53 career big-league appearances. Theodore has sleeper potential in 2017-18 if he becomes Vegas' power-play quarterback and he could be a top-four blueliner.

Brayden McNabb is optimistic about the Vegas Golden Knights' chances in their expansion season.

McNabb was Vegas' choice from Los Angeles in the expansion draft. "I think we’re going to be competitive," McNabb said. "There are a lot of good players we selected and some young guys too. We’ve got great goaltending, so it starts there. So it’ll be fun." Vegas' roster is better than your typical expansion team, but it still doesn't look particularly impressive. Vegas might be able to surprise people, but at the end of the day the Golden Knights shouldn't be projected to compete for a playoff spot in their first season.

The Vegas Golden Knights have signed pending UFA Deryk Engelland, which will count as their pick from the Calgary Flames.

Engelland will earn $1 million in base salary, but he can pick up another $1 million in bonuses. Vegas was granted an early window to negotiate with UFAs, but anyone they signed during that time would be counted as an expansion draft pick tied to their former team. Engelland had 16 points and 85 penalty minutes in 81 games last season. He played for the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers at the start of his pro career, which might make him an early fan favorite.

The Golden Knights have inked Griffin Reinhart to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension.

Reinhart had 21 points and 42 penalty minutes in 54 AHL contests in 2016-17. He's the player Vegas got from Edmonton in the expansion draft. Reinhart was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and hasn't lived up to his potential, but he's just 23 years old, so there's still time.

Brad Hunt is one of just two Vegas defensemen who is signed beyond 2018.

The other is Griffin Reinhart. Hunt agreed to a two-year contract through the 2018-19 season worth an average annual value of $650,000 back on July 1. He skated in 12 games for St. Louis and Nashville last year, while earning six points. Hunt also had nine goals and 20 assists in 23 AHL contests for Chicago, which is where he will probably start the 2017-18 campaign.

The Vegas Golden Knights have taken Jon Merrill from the New Jersey Devils in the expansion draft.

Merrill had a goal and six points in 51 games with the Devils in 2016-17. The 38th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft hasn't developed as hoped, but he's still young enough that he could turn his career around with a change of scenery.

Vegas GM George McPhee is reportedly still looking to move Luca Sbisa.

The Golden Knights have 11 defensemen and nine of them, including Sbisa, are left-handed. He was chosen by Vegas in the expansion draft from Vancouver. The 27-year-old blueliner has a $3.6 million cap hit and could be difficult to move.

The Vegas Golden Knights have selected Clayton Stoner from the Anaheim Ducks in the expansion draft.

Vegas also got Shea Theodore from Anaheim in exchange for not taking one of the Ducks' more desirable options. Stoner had three points and 28 penalty minutes in 14 games with Anaheim in 2016-17. He's entering the final season of a four-year, $13 million deal.

Marc-Andre Fleury is upbeat as he moves on from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Fleury waived his no-movement clause so that the Penguins could expose him in the expansion draft and the Golden Knights claimed him. "I'm very excited about it," Fleury said. "It was time. I was fortunate to be there for 14 years. I'm thankful for this opportunity in Vegas, to be a part of this community and organization." He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Penguins, but Matt Murray was clearly the Penguins' number one goaltender at this point. Now Fleury will likely find himself as a team's top netminder again and he'll also be one of the highest profile members of the expansion team.

Calvin Pickard is embracing the challenge of playing with an expansion team.

Pickard went from Colorado to Vegas in the expansion draft, where he's expected to be Marc-Andre Fleury's backup goaltender. "It's a new experience for all of us, every staff member, every player," Pickard said. "If we go in with an open mind, it's going to be a lot of fun. We're playing in the NHL in Las Vegas, so I think a lot of people would take that. Everybody's going to be really excited for sure." Pickard is saying all the right things, but don't expect him to have much, if any, fantasy value this season.